Project Forty-Five
by Warlordess
Summary: After another embarrassing proposal, Clemont has finally decided to invent something useful that will put Bonnie's concerns for his well-being to rest. But he isn't the only one interested in the prototype. One-sided Amourshipping; partial, hinted GeekChicShipping.
1. part one

**Disclaimer** – I love to play with things that aren't mine to begin with! I'm just your average klepto!

**Author** – Warlordess

**Notes** – Oh, wow, I can't believe I'm actually writing this. I was. . . I admit that I came into this season rather late, but then again, I haven't watched a lot of Pokemon since Misty left (such a shocker, I know) and then when I heard about Serena's history with Ash and her crush on him, I was a bit deflated. I really wish Misty had gotten as many opportunities as her successor female counterparts received. May and Dawn both had generous subplots, even introduced before Ash's entry to their particular home region, and Iris too. Not only does Serena get the same treatment, but there's also a romantic development, which has never been _seriously_, canononically introduced into this anime before. It kind of broke my heart for a moment but I tried my best to make it pass.

Instead, I decided to give the season a chance. I think I've watched about seven episodes so far and I've found both things I love and hate about it. I'm very glad that Team Rocket went back to their usual flimsy interpretation of evil, and especially that they're using their old motto again. The graphics are kind of great, I admit, but Pokemon vastly needed an update on their CG. The characters introduced in the XY series are all very likeable, including Serena. I seriously love Bonnie and Clemont. Like I said, however, there were a few things that I don't like. I don't approve of Serena's crush on Ash. I openly admit that this is in part my Pokeshipper soul crying out in reprieve, but it's also because they introduced a female character with a historic connection to Ash like, twenty seasons – read: fifteen RL years, seven regions, and five other female companions – down the line. Are you seriously telling me that Serena's mom sent her to another part of the world for _summer camp_? What, Professor Sycamore didn't have any summer programs she could attend closer to home?

But at the same time, I've decided that a development between Serena, who likes the good, wholesome boy that Ash was when they met so long ago, and Clemont – who is just as much a good, wholesome boy as Ash, only a tad shyer – would be very sweet. I have a thing for _Beauty and the Geek _scenarios, which is interesting since I'm not a reality TV buff and I've never seen that show at all. Lol.

So, that being said, this is my first foray into the **GeekChicShipping** world. I pray it treats me gently since this project, while something I've become quite interested in writing, is still the first (possibly second) idea I've had for this couple and there aren't going to be any confessions or anything. It's just a detour in canon, a test on how I write and conceive this relationship, a chance I want to give myself as well as the characters.

**O**o**O**o**O**

**Title** – "Project Forty-Five"

**Summary **– After another embarrassing proposal, Clemont has finally decided to invent something useful to put Bonnie's concerns for his wellbeing to rest. But he isn't the only one interested in the prototype. One-sided Amourshipping, partial GeekChicShipping.

**O**o**O**

"Aipom Arm, go!" Clemont shouted in embarrassment as Bonnie kneeled down on one knee and proposed to a random woman on his behalf, and not for the first time.

He pressed the button on his backpack's strap and heard the familiar sound of the mechanical gears wrenching into life before a long steel cable with a white arm protruded from over his shoulder and shot at his younger sister, pulling her back in his direction and fortunately cutting off her undying words of admiration mid-sentence.

The woman, head chef and owner at the mid-class restaurant their group had splurged on for lunch that day, smiled half-heartedly at the strange spectacle, perhaps reminded of her own siblings and their outrageous behavior growing up. Ash smiled blankly, one brow twitching in wonder, while Pikachu held one paw to the back of his own head and stroked it bashfully. Meanwhile Serena was calmly sipping her hot tea and staring at Ash from over the rim of her mug, ignoring the current situation, wishing he would just take a second to really _look_ at her.

It had been awhile since she had joined his group while traveling through the Kalos Region, an even shorter amount of time since she'd gotten him to remember her and their fateful introduction as even younger children than they were now. . . She hadn't known what she was expecting when he'd first recognized her.

She thought back to when she'd seen him on the news before leaving home, how she'd nearly instantly seen the similarities between him and the boy she'd met when she was forced to endure Professor Oak's summer camp all that time ago. And that was before she'd realized that he and that young boy were indeed the same person! Watching him cautiously approach a rampaging Garchomp on one of the highest floors of Prism Tower, watching him throw himself into the fray just to try and save a Pokemon from doing any damage to itself as well as the city, putting himself in harm's way enough to make sure Pikachu had a clear shot at the collar that Team Rocket had forced the dragon-type Pokemon to wear. . . And the heartrending fear that had gripped her when she saw him leap from the tower without a second thought when the ground had crumbled beneath Pikachu's legs and he'd – _both _of them had nearly fallen to their deaths. . .

Anyway, she had thought that he would be at least half as invested in _her_ if he held any romantic notions or feelings towards her, but there had been nothing so far.

"Fen fennekin!" her fox-type Pokemon companion cooed as she lounged comfortably on Serena's lap.

"Bonnie, that was _so _embarrassing!" Clemont miserably wailed as he and his sister rejoined the rest of their group at their booth.

He took the seat beside Serena while Bonnie hopped up onto the empty space beside Ash, standing on the fabric cushion and pointing earnestly at her sorry excuse for a relative.

"Big brother, you'll never find someone who will take care of you if all you worry about are building your silly inventions all the time! That's why it's up to me to find someone for you instead! Right, Dedenne?" she asked, staring down at her mousy companion as he perked his head from the pouch at her hip.

"De de!" he affirmed with a nod, clearly sticking up for his friend despite the fact that it was Clemont who'd caught him originally. Then again, _nobody_ made him feel as good as Bonnie did when she was petting up and down his tail.

"But I don't need someone like that; at least not yet! I have plenty of time for," but he stuttered and sputtered, clearly too disconcerted to go on. Well, girls had never really been an area he was adequate at navigating. . . Not that he'd admit that to _her_. But then again, she didn't seem to need to hear his confessions, rather taking it upon herself to find some dutiful woman to care for and coddle him for the rest of his life, "Anyway, I told you to stop doing that a long time ago!" he finally reprimanded her, but even his authoritative tone did nothing to deter her intentions.

"Big brother, you're going to end up alone as a stodgy old man someday soon if I leave it all up to you! I don't want to see you living as a hermit somewhere with nothing but your inventions to keep you company, you know?" she told him, at first rather brash and skeptical, though her tone did soften the more she went on. "And Sage," she began again, her eyes alight with renewed vigor as she mentioned the name of the woman she'd just finished harassing only a few minutes previous, "would have been perfect! I mean, she cooks for a living! I wouldn't have to worry about you skipping meals because you're too busy with your next _great idea_ to make something to eat! Plus she's in customer service so she's great with people already!"

"Well, the way she handles the affairs of her restaurant is rather impressive," Serena noted to prove she wasn't acting ignorant. Plus introducing herself to the conversation caused everyone's gazes to shift in her direction, including Ash's.

She felt her cheeks ignite as his eyes caught hers but immediately broke contact under the pressure.

Perhaps it was a good thing he hadn't come around and decided to confess his undying love to her yet.

"Yeah, see?" Bonnie wailed enthusiastically with her hands clamped together against the right side of her face, her daydreams temporarily overwhelming her. "Serena even agrees with me!"

"Bonnie, I told you no," Clemont said, eyes flashing as though to further renounce the topic of debate.

His little sister slid down into the seat of their booth, instantly deflated by his decision, though he knew she'd be back to her old self in no time at all.

After finishing and paying for their meal, they left the restaurant they'd decided to stop at for lunch and began to wander the streets of their newest destination once more. Cyllage City, with its multiple winding paths and spacious setting, was rather nice to look at. Plus it was right on the water so the breeze put everyone at ease.

"Kaa," Pikachu soothingly sighed from Ash's shoulder, and his trainer craned his neck around with a wide grin.

"It does feel good, doesn't it, Pikachu?" he asked rhetorically. Then he turned around and noted the different kinds of terrain the paths were made of, not to mention that some of them were rather narrow for pedestrian travel. "Why are they like that?" he wondered aloud.

"Cyllage City is known for its bike courses," Clemont explained knowledgeably, fixing his glasses so that the lenses glimmered in the sunlight. "The town usually hosts a marathon here a few times a year, and it's open to all levels of experience. Bonnie always watches it on television when the time comes."

"Well, I mostly turned the TV on for you, Clemont!" the young girl responded in kind, voice lowering to a mutter, "I had hoped that seeing all of those athletes would get you to start exercising more. There's a reason why you can never keep up with the rest of us!"

Everyone broke down into a unanimous fit of laughter at the young inventor's expense but he tried his best to ignore them.

"Anyway," Ash began anew once it had died down, "there's a gym around here somewhere, isn't there?"

"Ah, yeah, actually," Clemont noted again, first one to offer the information, "I think the gym leader specializes in rock types though, so you better be prepared."

"Hah, I've got Froakie so I shouldn't have any trouble at all!" the raven-haired trainer exclaimed confidently with his hands at his waist, standing tall and laughing loud. Serena and Bonnie took in the sight, all smiles. But what got Serena's attention the most was the next moment when Ash's self-assured expression had faltered and been replaced with a more somber air.

Bikes and rock-type gyms, huh? That sure brought back some memories.

"Well, Pikachu? Are you ready for us to face our next challenge?" he asked once he'd shaken himself out of it.

"Pika, Pikapi!"

Serena watched the overly-excited trainer exchange words with his starter Pokemon and decided she'd pretend she hadn't noticed what she'd seen. There were clearly things she still didn't know about Ash after all the time they'd been apart. He'd been traveling for a long time before meeting her again. It only made sense that he would take the occasional moment to remember some of the things he'd left behind.

Their group walked around town for the next half-an-hour or so, meandering their way towards the gym and taking a chance to glance at all of the shop storefronts on the way there. It was when they approached the tall building that something finally changed in their formation.

"Uh, guys? I'm actually going to sit this one out if it's alright," Clemont told them all casually.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at her brother. More like _suspiciously_.

"You'd really miss Ash's next gym battle?" Serena asked him with wide eyes. If it were her, she'd feel rather guilty for leaving her friend behind, after all.

"Well, it's just. . . I have something I wanted to check out. It shouldn't take long anyway but I don't want the shop to close up before we leave the gym because then I won't get my chance," he halfheartedly explained.

Ash and Pikachu glanced at each other before smiling at their companion.

"It's alright, guys. We don't mind if Clemont has other things to do. You don't have to feel obligated to follow me everywhere. I like having your company at all!" he said with a laugh and Pikachu immediately agreed in his own foreign tongue. "Besides, we all know what's gonna happen when I walk in there anyway, don't we?" he asked them without really asking them, that certainty he was always known for peeking through.

_You'd never know that he lost his first gym battle after arriving in Kalos_, Serena thought with a smile. It was that never-say-die attitude that had attracted her after all.

Clemont bid his friends farewell and turned on his heel to run back towards the shops they'd passed a little some time ago while Ash, Bonnie, Serena, and their Pokemon partners all marched into the gym instead.

**O**o**O**

"Hehe, what'd I tell ya?" Ash asked, undoing the lock on his badge case and showing Clemont a couple of hours later once their group had gotten back together.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," the blond inventor agreed as he took in the sight of the new addition to the raven-haired trainer's collection. "I guess Froakie came through for you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but like I said, I knew I could count on him!" and the trainer gave the frog-type Pokemon's Ball a slight pat, wondering to himself if the sentiment happened to get through the mechanical contraption and reach his ally's ears. "Well, I guess we're done here! Should we head out to the next town?"

More like the next gym.

It was actually Serena who grounded his elation this time.

"Um, if you don't mind, I'd rather stay here in Cyllage tonight. It's already getting late anyway and if we go now, we should be able to get a room at the Pokemon Center, shouldn't we?" she asked rather timidly. She still preferred sleeping in an actual bed compared to on the road, though there were a few times when it was unavoidable.

Ash stared at her for a second or two and then shrugged, giving in easily since he was still high on his most recent achievement.

"Sure I guess," he told her.

"Ah, alright then, that's great!" And she gave her most fitting, charming smile. . . though it didn't seem to have any effect since Ash had already u-turned from the direction they were traveling in, which would have led them out of town.

"C'mon Pikachu, Dedenne!" Bonnie yelped excitedly as they changed course. "I'll race you both there!" She took off without a second thought, nearly immediately regretting this choice when her shoe caught on a piece of cobblestone. She rebalanced herself awkwardly before hitting the ground, then looked up and saw both electric mouse Pokemon beating her. "No fair! Wait for me, you two!"

Her laughter reverberated around them in the oncoming nightfall.

Once they reached the Center, everyone handed in their Pokemon to Nurse Joy for a good rest, knowing that they'd have their work cut out for them the next day when they finally did leave Cyllage City. Then they requested a room with two bunk beds and went to prepare for sleep.

It was roughly an hour later when Serena finally exited the bathroom adjacent their overnight quarters, all squeaky clean and comfortable in her own skin once more after running around outside all day. Ash and Bonnie were already asleep on separate bunks (one was for the boys and one for the girls; it seemed most appropriate that way) and she gave herself a free moment to stare wistfully at the boy she'd liked for so long without getting caught. It was a rare opportunity for her.

"Are you going to bed?" Clemont whispered from the desk next to the door and Serena squeaked before clamping a hand over her mouth. She hadn't even been aware of his presence!

"Uh, yeah, in a few minutes," she murmured back, kneeling down to remove her hairbrush from her bag. Then she began to unknot her long tresses, stopping midway down one particular brush and turned wary eyes on him. "Aren't you?" she asked curiously, already walking in his direction.

When she finally got close enough to see, she noticed he had an assortment of things on the desk, most of which were diagrams of something that looked oddly similar to a. . .

"Is that a necklace?" she immediately questioned, pointing at the closest page to her.

"Um, well. . . yeah, sort of," he replied kindly, hoping he wouldn't have to explain anymore. However Serena wasn't finished yet, taking in the evidence of his labor until finally gazing at the top left of the first piece of paper she'd seen. And the next one, and then a few more that happened to be spread out on the desk.

"**Project Forty-Five**?" she quoted blankly, before cottoning on, "Wow, you've invented forty-four other things? That's really great! You're so talented!" she gushed under her breath, enthusiastic but still hoping not to wake anybody.

"Well, actually no. . . Forty-five doesn't stand for the numerical order of my inventions," he indeed disclosed for her benefit.

"Oh? Then what does it stand for?" she asked patiently, still staring.

Whatever it was, it looked just as alluring as it did tacky. A thin, fragile chain with a pendant at the end, a heart-shaped jewel at its center. From what she could tell, there was a clasp on the back of the pendant that may have opened up to reveal something within it, but there were no notes detailing what that something would be. Instead, on the back of the pendant displayed in the diagram, was a loopy number _forty-five_, just like in the title Clemont had given his newest pet project.

Serena felt something akin to passion well up within her and she knew that this was what Ash had felt when he'd previously watched Clemont reveal one contraption after another to him.

"Heheh," the amateur innovator smirked, pressing his glasses up the edge of his nose once more and feeling the pride at his latest great feat overrule his determination to keep everything quiet until he was ready to unleash it on the world. Well, this particular brainchild of his _was _rather mild-mannered compared to those he'd built in the past. . .

"I'm afraid I can't say quite yet. I've already bought the materials I needed for it though," and he nodded towards his own backpack, not all the space of which was apparently taken over by the Aipom Arm and his other contraptions, "I'll be starting work on it in the next few days. But if I do say so myself, I believe that this will be one of my greatest inventions ever!"

He continued sniggering almost dementedly to himself and Serena backed away and let him get to work once more. She wasn't sure what he was doing and she usually wouldn't be bothered to find out more. But there had indeed been something about the design that had got her attention.

Well, he had told her to expect more news in a few days so she would bide her time until then, she supposed. There were plenty of things to keep her busy, including building up her relationship with Fennekin, as well as trying to get Ash's attention. All she could do outside of that was wait for the big reveal, just like the rest of their group.

**O**o**O**o**O**

**Notes** – Holy bajeezus, I just wrote this, didn't I? Oh, man, I can't believe I did this. . . Then again, it's probably a good thing. It's happening. Heck, it's already at least partially done, right? So I guess I have no choice but to keep going. And I may possibly be okay with that.

I hope nobody took my opening notes too personally. It's just how I feel. . . And I kind of hope there are others out there who feel the same as me. But even beyond that, I live in a free country so I'm allowed to say how I feel! Right?

Anyway, next chapter should hopefully be posted in a week. I only say it will take that long because my work days are usually sixteen hours long when you include transportation. I'll be trying my best to work on this between working and sleeping though, in the precious few minutes per day that I have. Lol. I feel pretty confident about this fic, though I should note that it's only going to be two or three chapters long. I decided to make it shorter per chapter than – well – basically _every _other fic I've ever written. Shorter chapters; it's something I've wanted to try out for awhile. :)

Until next time! And remember, reviews are love!


	2. part two

**Disclaimer** – I love to play with things that aren't mine to begin with! I'm just your average klepto!

**Author** – Warlordess

**Notes** – All general fiction-related notes are in the first chapter. All chapter-specific notes are at the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading my first **GeekChicShipping **fic!

**O**o**O**o**O**

**Title** – "Project Forty-Five" / part two

**Summary **– After another embarrassing proposal, Clemont has finally decided to invent something useful to put Bonnie's concerns for his well-being to rest. But he isn't the only one interested in the prototype. One-sided Amourshipping, partial GeekChicShipping.

**O**o**O**

It was early morning four days later when the time had finally come.

"Haha! It's finished!" Clemont exclaimed enthusiastically, arms flailing about at his own achievement.

His shout was enough to wake the rest of their group, including Serena, the only one even somewhat aware as to what he was talking about.

"Uwah," Bonnie yawned as she sat up and held a hand over her mouth, taking in the sight of her brother's exuberance. She'd lived with him long enough to know what this bout of spirit pertained to, "Clemont, it's too early to be inventing anything, isn't it?" she asked, still only half-conscious.

Ash, who had leapt up immediately at the amateur inventor's initial shout, was on his hands and knees and glancing rapidly around their campsite for any source of trouble. When he realized there was nothing to fear, he fell back into the plush comfort of his own sleeping bag with a snort. This, rather unfortunately, was a mistake, since Pikachu had rolled over into his space when his trainer had sat up.

What followed was a _thundershock_ that shook the very foliage of a great many trees around them and a scream that sent all nearby Fletchling scattering into the blue sky.

"That's what you get," Bonnie warned the raven-haired trainer with a giggle as she rose from her own sleeping bag and cautiously approached him and his starter Pokemon, swiftly removing the shaken electric mouse from underneath his master with a smile and giving him a hug to comfort him.

Pikachu immediately sighed contentedly and let Bonnie pet him all the way down his back and along the length of his tail.

"I knew you'd like that," the young girl exclaimed in glee before allowing Pikachu to leap from her arms and to the ground instead. "You're alright now, aren't you, Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" he responded with a nod of his head and a bright smile that made Bonnie's nerves tremble. Ooh, she couldn't wait to have a Pokemon of her own!

"Dedenne!" her Kalos native electric-type ally proclaimed, also dashing to Pikachu's side to make sure his friend was fine. Taking him into account, perhaps she did have her own Pokemon already, even if Clemont had been the one to catch him. And speaking of Clemont. . .

"Th – thanks for the concern, guys, really," Ash coughed and twitched from his facefault on the ground before automatically righting himself, Serena instantly at his side with the same handkerchief she'd loaned him that other time when he'd been training for his rematch again Viola.

"Are you alright, Ash? I hope you're not hurt," she fussed in softhearted worry.

"Ah, thanks. I'm fine though. If I can't handle Pikachu's _thundershock_ after all this time then something must be wrong with me," he laughed as he accepted her token and began to wipe the dirt from his face.

"Pikapi?" his Pokemon partner asked apologetically, just to be sure, but Ash smiled at him.

"I'm fine, buddy; can't you tell?" And he was on his feet a second later, clenching his fists and looking more than energetic.

"Big brother?" Bonnie asked, approaching her person of interest from behind and staring over his shoulder at the small thing he was holding up in the air. Her tone was enough to end everyone else's distraction and they all attentively peered in Clemont's direction. "What is that?"

"This, my dear Bonnie, is the newest justification of my genius," he explained, glasses flashing as they always did when he discussed something he'd invented. "Remember, the future is _now_, thanks to science! And I have here with me the one thing that will end any and all concern you may have for _my_ future!" he went on, and his little sister's eyes lit up brighter and brighter with nearly every word he spoke.

"But what is it?" Ash asked, pointing absurdly. All he saw from where he sat was a dinky little chain with a round bauble hanging from the end of it, a gaudy, imitation garnet in the shape of a heart at the pendant's center. It didn't seem so special to _him_, not after everything _else _Clemont had revealed since they'd started traveling together. In fact, though he didn't say it aloud, he thought it looked rather. . . girly.

"Yeah, big brother! Oh, you have to tell me! What is it? What does it do? Do you really mean it when you say I don't have to worry about you anymore?" their youngest human companion asked in one breath. She never thought one of her brother's silly experiments would actually be geared towards finding him a future wife! Maybe he was finally coming around!

"I give you the masterpiece known only as L45," he prattled on, facing them for the first time since waking up and giving everyone a full view of the piece of costume jewelry he'd worked so hard to design. "I thought of it the other day while we were in Cyllage City. With this, all of our problems will be over. You'll never have to worry about my love life again."

Everyone, even the Pokemon, gathered around him for a closer inspection. Bonnie immediately snatched it up and looked it over. Serena could see from where she stood that there was indeed some sort of latch on the back of the pendant, though it seemed to be screwed tightly shut. And she could see underneath the number engraved on the back was some elaborate circuitry, though she had no idea why it would be necessary.

"So it's not affiliated with your ClemonticGear?" Ash asked blankly, "And you say it's supposed to help with your love life? How?"

"While we were in town, I bought a TM at the local PokeMart. Any guesses as to which one it was?" the amateur inventor asked, poising his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and waiting for everything to simply click into place amongst his three traveling partners.

Serena, after taking everything in that she'd remembered about the night she saw Clemont first working on his newest invention, indeed thought she knew the answer.

"Was it TM-45?" she asked, then her brow creased in confusion. "What _is _TM-45 anyway?"

"TM-45 holds the move _attract_. It's a Pokemon move that has an impeccable rate of causing a member of the opposite gender to fall in love with the user."

Bonnie felt her heart race at the very thought.

"Ooh, I always knew you had it in you! This is a great idea, big brother! So how does it work? It's heavier than I thought it'd be so there must be some other stuff in there to make it work how you want it to, right? Can I try it out? Better yet," and the glint in her eyes became a full-blown flaming rampage, "can _you _try it out?"

"But who would he, you know, use it on?" Ash asked the obvious question and the young blond-haired girl immediately deflated at this obvious flaw in their brilliant plan.

"Oh, yeah; I guess you're right. Still, it's a really great invention, Clemont! I'm sure that you'll be able to find a good wife now, right?" she questioned sincerely, handing the necklace back to him.

"Maybe someday. Admittedly, this is only the prototype so there's no guarantee what will happen just yet," Clemont replied and took in his pet project with a rather tender gaze. "I think I managed to isolate the chemical compounds of the TM and distribute them amongst the mineral base of the garnet in a successful manner." Nobody understood what he was saying at this point so they let him continue rambling. "This way there won't be an error in which a unanimous reaction causes problems for anybody."

"So you're saying you think you're able to keep the _attraction_ from affecting every girl who happens to look at you?" Serena asked, "Wow, that's pretty cool. Um, just out of curiosity, what does someone have to do to get it to work right? I mean, if it weren't the prototype and there was no doubt that it would do what it's supposed to?"

Everyone immediately gazed at her in curiosity. She'd never shown much interest in Clemont's inventions before, though maybe it had just taken her awhile to come around.

"Well, I haven't tested it yet so I can't be sure. All I can really say is that you would have to wear it for a while and see. The trick is in the lighting. If the sun's light reflects off of the garnet just so, and someone of the opposite gender is staring at the necklace right when it happens, there's a one-hundred percent chance that it will cause an _attraction_. That was my intention anyway," Clemont shrugged.

"W – will it explode like all the others?" the girl continued to ask but her question was drowned out by someone else.

"I think you should put it on right now," Bonnie practically demanded of her older sibling. She really couldn't wait for the testing process to start, and certainly wouldn't be able to last until it was over and her brother thought it was safe to make something he deemed appropriate to use constantly on anyone and everyone they happened to meet.

Ash had since gotten rather bored and gone back to his sleeping bag where his shoes and socks sat waiting for him to put them back on, but Serena couldn't help continuing to stare, her hopes increasing drastically after L45 had been revealed. This could have been her only chance to _see_, after all.

She turned another wistful stare on the raven-haired trainer she'd left home just to meet again, watching him pull his socks and shoes on before greeting Pikachu with another smile and removing a tubberware container of Pokemon food from his backpack and offering some. Dedenne leapt almost instantly from Bonnie's fanny-pack to grab some chow as well.

Thirty minutes later, once everyone had had a complete and balanced breakfast of their own, their group decided it was time to be on their way once more.

"Oh, wow; I didn't think Route Ten would look like this!" Ash exclaimed as he took in the sights. Strange rock formations seemed to have erupted from the ground, protruding a minimum of a few feet above his head. He and Pikachu gaped up at all of it with their mouths hanging open before twisting around on the spot. "Guys, this is really cool! I've never seen anything like this back home, or anywhere else I've been for that matter!"

He disappeared from their sights nearly instantaneously, or perhaps he was just so excited that he'd run as fast as he could to explore the area more. His friends all followed warily behind, Dedenne and Fennekin marching along behind them and making casual Poke-conversation as they did. Any amount of enthusiasm they felt seemed to pale in comparison to Ash, after all.

"A – Ash, what's your hurry?" Clemont wheezed exasperatedly as he fumbled on quaking knees and tried his best to remain upright. Still, he couldn't help but pause, hunching over and inhaling deeply after nearly an hour of waiting for the raven-haired trainer to calm down.

Serena was doing her best to keep a cheery grin on her face but was also having trouble disentangling a few loose brambles from her long hair and Bonnie and Dedenne were halfheartedly trying to help her get the job done, both looking the worse for wear.

"I can feel it, guys! This is it!" the raven-haired trainer pumped both fists up before him and turned to face his three companions with a confident grin. "I just know that I'm going to find my next Pokemon here! I can practically guarantee it!"

He gave a loud shout of, "Yeah!", Pikachu making the same motion from up on one of his shoulders, before twisting on his heel and continuing off toward the next bush that he planned to thoroughly disturb, hoping that a wild Pokemon would magically decide to pop out and surprise him.

"Clemont," Bonnie practically whined in resignation. She was obviously tired, out of breath, leaning forward on her knees while Dedenne watched her cautiously from his place in her shoulder bag. Then, on top of that, her stomach chose that chance to growl as well.

Knowing this was his opportunity, Clemont straightened up and put on a relieved expression.

"Hey, Ash, I was thinking..." he started, giving their pseudo-leader a chance to falter in his exuberance and offer him some attention.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, if you think about it, the main reason why we were able to catch most of our Pokemon so far, such as Dedenne and Fletchling, was because they were interested in our food. So maybe it would be a good idea to stop for lunch? You never know; it might present you with the opportunity you've been looking for."

Their entire group was silent. Serena had to admit that she was mildly impressed that Clemont had been able to come up with such a plausible excuse to get Ash to stop moving for even a second. Then again, the one and (practically) only thing that could stop Ash from moving forward on his journey through Kalos was the promise of food and, sure enough...

"That's a great idea, Clemont!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, running back towards the group and throwing an arm around the suddenly bashful boy's shoulder, "Quick, let's get this started!"

And so they did. Ash and Bonnie walked into the nearby wooded area to grab some firewood while Serena and Clemont stayed behind. While he was putting together the ingredients needed to prepare their meal, she occupied her time by setting the group's table. Every once in awhile, despite her best efforts, she felt her eyes drag along her surroundings until they'd made contact with Clemont's large backpack.

Somewhere inside there... was _project forty-five_, the one thing that could make her affection for Ash a mutual reality.

Serena blinked away the longing and decided to stare down at the plate and silverware set out before her instead. She shouldn't be thinking about that, even if it were her only chance to get Ash to like her the way she did him... and who was to say it _was_? She still had plenty of time to get him to like her, didn't she? Even if Clemont's invention would be able to speed things along, that didn't mean she should automatically take advantage of the opportunity.

Besides, as he himself had said, it was only a prototype. If it worked at all, chances were that it would be rather faulty... and Clemont's inventions had the tendency to, well, _explode _(despite the fact that this particular experiment had already lasted as long as it did without oing so). Was she really willing to risk it?

"Um, you alright, Serena? You haven't moved or said anything for a couple of minutes now," Clemont asked her kindly, raising himself to his full height and dusting off his legs.

"Mm," the young girl replied absently, then realized she'd been asked something that required more of a response than that, "I – I mean, I'm fine! I am! I'm just tired."

Clemont chuckled appreciatively at her statement, "Yeah. Ash is really energetic. I understand it, of course; I'd be excited to get a move on after having two Kalos League badges too, knowing that the championships aren't as far away as they seem."

Serena's initial instinct was to defend Ash from what sounded like the amateur inventor's placement of blame (though she knew it wasn't). She held it in – didn't want to be too obvious now, did she? - and smiled in response.

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

She felt oddly uncomfortable now, as if the amiable solitude between the two of them was unnatural, but then again, she supposed it was. She was so used to Ash's energy (as Clemont had put it) and Bonnie's spirit that it was strange when they weren't around.

The two missing members of their group returned almost on queue and lunch was finally underway. Ash, Serena, and Clemont all released their Pokemon so that they could join in, Serena making sure to hold her latest batch of macarons out of reach so that Chespin wouldn't eat through them all.

There was friendly chatter dominating the area for the following forty-five minutes (interrupted once in awhile by Ash craning his neck and looking around for any wild Pokemon that may have been trying to sneak by for a free bite to eat). Then something finally came along to cause a transition in the familiarity.

"My oh my, what have we here?" a croaky tone asked from somewhere behind her and Serena quickly jerked her head in the direction of it, not realizing that someone had indeed managed to sneak up on their group.

What greeted her and the rest of them was an apparently elderly couple accompanying a small – very whiskery – child. She allowed her brow to crease for just one moment before blowing the half an accusation from her mind and letting her usual friendly demeanor take over.

"My oh my is right, Jeb!" the female companion exclaimed in what could have been surmised as glee. "We were just taking our grandson for a walk and what do we find out on our property?"

"Why, just a few well-meaning young Pokemon trainers, am I right?" the man went on, "But I must say, your Pokemon seem a lot stronger and healthier than a lot of the others that wander onto our land, don't they, Tess?"

"They certainly do!" the woman crooned in response, taking an almost predatory step forward.

"Uh, we're awfully sorry," Clemont apologized in place of the rest of their group seeing as Ash, Bonnie, and Serena were still trying to wrap their heads around the strange turn of the situation. "We didn't realize we'd somehow found ourselves on private property. There were no fences or signs or anything. We certainly didn't mean to trespass!"

"Awe, that's fine, sonny!" the old man jibed with a clap on Clemont's shoulder and a thick-sounding guffaw, "But since you did, do ya mind letting our little grandson, Malcolm, have a look-see at all these _strong_ and _healthy_ Pokemon you've brought with ya?"

"Oh, boy!" the roughly seven year old kid shouted in response, clapping his paws – I mean, _hands_ – together and running forward without another thought, "I can't woit ta see 'em up cloise! I loive Pokamon!" he went on with a barely-disguised city accent.

Nevertheless, the obviousness of the sudden company and their new situation seemed to go right over the group's heads.

"Wah! I love Pokemon too!" Bonnie proclaimed, glad to meet someone closer to her age with the same interest, "Look, let me show you Dedenne! He's so cute! My brother Clemont caught him for me!" And she bent down and picked him up just as he was finishing a bite of the poached potato he'd been given to eat for lunch. "See? Isn't he adorable?"

"Uh, yeah!" the kid, Malcolm, responded, though he seemed a bit perturbed at having the Kalos Pokemon shoved in his face and took a step around Bonnie and Dedenne, instead looking up at Ash, "Boit I think Pikachu are da best! Even more den dat Dedenne! Can I see him?"

Maybe it was the oddly sharp, almost feline-looking eyes of the child staring up at him, but Ash was shaken out of his silence and gave a stellar smile in response.

"Haha, you're right! Pikachu is the best! He's my pal and we've been together forever! Sure, I'll let you see him!" Then, eyeing his best friend, "You don't mind, do ya, buddy?"

"Pika!" the electric mouse replied with a grin, hopping down from Ash's shoulder and leaping for the young boy. Fennekin, Chespin, Fletchling, and Dedenne advanced on him as well and he was soon surrounded by all of the Pokemon Ash and his friends had acquired since journeying to Kalos. Well, all except for Bunnelby, who was quite content to finish chewing on his own potato.

"My, you kids are so nice!" Jeb and Tess practically declared in unison.

"Guys, we should probably clean up, shouldn't we?" Serena asked almost warily. Well, it wasn't like she _wanted _to impose on the nice elderly couple or else remain on their land for longer than necessary. Plus, as much as she was sure Ash wanted to wander around and look for any of the Pokemon that _hadn't _approached them during their lunch break, she also knew that it would be nearly impossible to reach a Pokemon Center by nightfall if they didn't get a move on sooner or later. And no Pokemon Center meant she'd have to sleep outside again.

"Oh, yeah, you're probably right!" Clemont responded bashfully and quickly turned to begin cleaning up the mess they'd made. "Bonnie, can you help Serena clear the table? We'll have to wash the dishes before we can go. Ash, it would be great if you could help me put out the fire."

"Sure, Clemont!" Bonnie enthusiastically replied, up on her feet and hopping over to Serena without much bother, "You guys all play nice, okay?" she giggled as she did so.

"Yeah, you got it!" Ash grinned in acceptance of his task as well and walked over to help.

The whole lot of them were thoroughly distracted for the next ten minutes, forgetting dessert and setting about tidying up the makeshift campsite they'd created for lunch. Serena, noting that her macarons were still sitting in the tin where she'd left them, made to place them back in her bag for the time being. Well, she could always offer them as an afternoon snack... but she was distracted from doing so by the continuation of the conversation.

"We're sorry, really," Clemont still felt the need to go on, "We hope we haven't caused you and your family any trouble."

"Did you say... _trouble_?" Tess asked while Jeb seemed to twitch in response from beside her.

"Noit naow!" Malcolm responded through gritted teeth from his position on the ground with all of the Pokemon but his warning fell on deaf ears.

"Uh, yeah," Ash blinked, noting their suddenly stiff demeanors, "like my friend said, we just didn't notice anything that would make us think this land belonged to anyone. We thought it was all a part of Route Ten."

"Oh, no, no... I – it's fine..." Tess gave a quick laugh before zipping her lips shut, taking a deep breath, and opening them once more to try again, "We hardly ever expect guests out here, we're never _prepared_, but it would be rather rude of us to not come to greet them should they appear, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe we should do that from now on, Tess," Jeb noted just as inflexibly, "_Prepare_ from here on out..."

"For trou – I mean, guests?"

"And make it double! We'll take care of these pests!" Jeb broke character and lashed out, reaching his full height and throwing a fist up into the air.

"Wait, what's happening?" Ash blurted in confusion, stopping what he was doing. And he wasn't the only one.

"James, what are you doing?" Tess, now revealed to be Jessie, lost her momentum as well and decided to strip herself of her costume in one fell swoop, revealing her Team Rocket garb in its place. "I mean, to protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" James rebutted, and the two of them stood back to back with their arms crossed, apparently trying to make a statement... Though it was the same statement they'd been trying to meet since the day they'd met Ash so it probably wasn't all that important.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"No, no, no! Yoi's two's is idiots!" _Malcolm_ shouted lividly as he jumped up to his feet and attempted to threaten them with the very sight of his claws... which were not hands.

"Jessie!"

"James!" And the male Rocket member finally ripped away his own costume to reveal his team uniform in its place.

"Team Rocket blast off and it never stops!" Jessie went on by way of explaining their instinctual response to hearing the words _trouble_ and _prepare_.

"Surrender now since we've ruined our props!" James whined in rhyme with her improvisation.

"Me-owth! I goiss dis plan is anoder one of oir flops!" the feline-Pokemon-turned-young-child-turned-back-to-Pokemon was compelled to finish even after his own moaning and groaning about revealing their identities too soon.

"Wobbuffet!" the cyan-colored Pokemon appeared from nowhere and struck a pose before his own trainer.

"Ah! It's Team Rocket!" Bonnie exclaimed in shock, pointing at them.

"I can't believe they tricked us again!" Clemont responded, clearly irritated by the deception. He had thought he'd be able to see them coming from a mile away but clearly that wasn't the case.

"Wait; what about the Pokemon?" Serena reminded them, and they turned and took in the sight of most of their Pokemon clustered together, also coming to terms with their current situation and preparing to scatter.

"If Team Rocket wants a battle, we'll give 'em all we've got, right Pikachu?" Ash shouted confidently, smirking down at his electric-type Pokemon, who gave a, _"Pika!" _of approval.

"Ah ah ah!" Jessie wagged an index finger at them. "We didn't come to battle today, twerps. We're only here for the Pokemon!"

"Yeah, like we'd just hand them over!" Ash scoffed in response, waving an arm in dismissal of the very idea.

"Boit you's gaddered 'em so noicely oip foir us!" Meowth spoke, seemingly aghast at the news that simply _handing them over_ wasn't a part of the plan, "Alls we needed wois foir yoi's toi wroip 'em oip in a nice big bow!"

"It's alright, Meowth!" James replied with a smirk, holding up an arm that was holding a moderately familiar hand-held device, "We can do the wrapping up all by ourselves!"

"Pikachu, don't let them capture you! Use your _iron tail_!"

"Chespin, use _pin missile_!" Clemont added.

"Wobbuffet, _counter_!" Jessie responded soundly and the massive backlash gave her and James time to make their next move. "Go, Pumpkaboo! Use _shadow ball _to separate the twerps from their Pokemon!"

There was a flash of red light and the super-sized grass-type Pokemon appeared before everyone, floating skyward and turning on his adversaries, scrunching up and focusing as a pulsing sphere of dark energy began to take shape before him. He launched it immediately afterward, knocking Ash and friends (as well as Bunnelby, who was still separate from the group of other Pokemon) backwards and to the forest floor, where they rolled to a bruised and battered stop eventually.

Ash didn't bother to dust himself off or try to clear the dirt from his lungs, getting up on his hands and knees and squinting through the thicket and grit that had taken to the air upon impact. Through it all, as he reached his feet and started dashing forward, he heard Jessie and James snickering in their usual dastardly tones.

"Pikachu!" he shouted fearfully just as there was a blinking flash of light that he could barely make out with his limited vision and he knew that Team Rocket had unleashed their electric net in an attempt to catch the group's Pokemon.

There was a collective shriek from the captives as they were taken and Ash tried to pursue them but tripped on a root from a nearby tree and fell over again. By the time he'd regained his footing and the dust had started to settle, Team Rocket and the Pokemon had vanished and his friends had caught up with him once more.

"I can't believe they managed to get away!" Clemont stated rather aggressively while Bonnie teared up.

"Brother, what about Dedenne and Pikachu and the others? I'm worried! Team Rocket could do something really bad to them!" she cried in concern.

Serena knelt down and placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"It's okay, Bonnie. I – I'm worried about Fennekin too but... we'll get them back. Won't we, Ash?" she asked, looking the boy in the eyes and knowing from the fire ignited within that he – of course – wouldn't give up until he'd found Pikachu and the other Pokemon once more.

"You got that right! We won't give up without a fight!"

"But without any Pokemon..." Clemont started realistically, though his comment was stifled by an unknown presence.

"Bunnel... by," the rabbit Pokemon grunted as he used his ears to propel him to his feet and shook himself from the impact of Team Rocket's latest stunt. Thankfully he'd managed to flip out of the way in time to avoid most of the damage but he was still a bit worn out from the effort.

"Bunnelby, you weren't captured?" Clemont asked in shock before a smile took over and he ran to his Pokemon and gave him a hug. "I'm glad you're okay!"

"Alright! With Bunnelby, we still have a chance to beat Team Rocket!" Ash felt his enthusiasm rejuvenate and he internally promised to get all of the Pokemon back and teach his enemy a lesson for having caused so much trouble.

"I think you're right, Ash! We should head in the direction that they came from when they first found us. They're probably heading for their balloon. You think you've got enough energy in you to help us get our friends back, Bunnelby?" Clemont asked his Pokemon next, who in turn glared and nodded in affirmation.

"Here, I have a Potion I bought back in Cyllage City. Give it to Bunnelby to help him out," Serena said, turning and finding her bag a few feet away on the ground. She picked it up and noted how dirty (she and) it had gotten but shook off her distaste and removed the medicinal application from within, holding it out for the amateur inventor to accept it.

"Thanks!" he replied gratefully and sprayed the Potion on his rabbit-type Pokemon who suddenly looked a lot more energetic. "Okay, I think we're ready to go! Ash and I will chase after Team Rocket and Serena and Bonnie can finish grabbing our stuff..." But he trailed off as he reached the end of the plan, taking stock of the damage that would indeed be needing cleaned... including...

"Ah! My ClemonticGear!" he wailed dismally, crawling frantically on hands and knees at the sight of his over-sized backpack, which had been blown back nearly as far as the rest of them after Pumpkaboo's _shadow ball_ had been unleashed and was now sitting open and covered in dirt, all of his possessions strewn about around it. "Ooh no, look at it! What if my Aipom Arm is broken? What if one of my blueprints has gone missing? What if-"

"-Clemont, how can you be so worried about your silly inventions when Pikachu and the other Pokemon are trapped with Team Rocket?" Bonnie wailed in disappointment and she stomped over to him and grabbed him by his collar. "You have to help Ash get them back! If Dedenne is hurt because of this I won't be able to forgive you!"

With nearly every word, she shook him as hard as her thin arms would let her, though it hardly did any damage. A reminder of what was really important, though, did get him to rejoin their group in the present and he gave a shuddering sigh of acceptance and regained his composure, slowly ambling back up to his full height and turning around to Ash, his eyes now alight with the same determination as what was conveyed within the raven-haired trainer's expression.

Serena and Bonnie were taken aback by his sudden change in disposition and her former disapproval to his acknowledgment quickly dulled down to something closer to cooperation.

"Let's go, Ash! We'll get our Pokemon back!" he proclaimed, charging forward with Ash and Bunnelby running full-speed along beside him. Of course, by the time their silhouettes were breaching the line where the ground and horizon met, it was clear to the two females of the group that his endurance had already run out and he was barely managing to keep up.

Serena and Bonnie set about cleaning up what was left of their campsite, dusting off the compact dining table, ensuring that the fire was well and truly out, quickly washing and putting away the dishes from lunch. There was a buzzing filling Serena's head as she continued her given tasks and she was pretty sure that Bonnie was feeling the same thing.

There was nothing they could do without their Pokemon so they'd clearly be of more use back here making sure none of their belongings were stolen or went missing while the boys chased after Team Rocket. That didn't make the truth of the situation any easier to bear though. More than almost anything, Serena wanted to be there for Ash, to be a necessity, to be close. What could she do when she was depended on more for things like this than for helping her friends save the day from Team Rocket?

She attempted to muffle her exasperated sigh but it escaped before she could. Bonnie walked up and the two of them broke down the table that Clemont carried in his backpack until it was only half the length of her arm. Then they laid it down while Serena went to retrieve her bag. She wanted to make sure everything was still there after all.

So she was sorely disappointed when, come to find out, something _was_ indeed missing.

"M – my macarons! I can't believe it!" she gasped, perturbed by the discovery.

"What's wrong, Serena?"

"I baked some maracons while we were in Cyllage City and they're not here! I thought I put them in my bag before..." she faltered, thinking back on what had taken place, and realizing that she had forgotten about them when Clemont had continued the discussion and apologized for them accidentally trespassing on Tess and Jeb's property... which probably hadn't been their property at all. Still, if they weren't here, and a quick survey of her nearby surroundings indicated that they hadn't been tossed to the ground in the former scuffle, then... where were they?

Her brow creased in frustration and she grit her teeth. She couldn't believe it!

"Team Rocket stole my macarons!" she ground out in agitation. How could they? Why would they even bother? Didn't they have a stipend or something they could use to buy their own food with?

"Really? I didn't think Pokemon thieves cared enough to steal food..." Bonnie responded with wide eyes, "Then again, your macarons are the best, Serena!"

Serena wanted to thank the girl, she really did, but she was still so overcome with disbelief that she couldn't form the words. She sat there for a moment and tried to clear her head. There were more important things going on right now. She couldn't afford to lose her concentration over something as silly as a theft of her latest baked goods.

Still... she'd really been looking forward to the gleeful expression on Ash's face when he took his first bite. She knew that he loved his food but, somehow, his eyes always seemed to light up brighter to her when he was eating something _she_ had made for him.

"Let's finish cleaning up," Bonnie needlessly reminded her, "Ash and Clemont will have caught up with Team Rocket by now, I think. If we hurry up, it shouldn't take too long to catch up to them."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Serena gulped and cautiously got back on her feet, picking up the compact dining table once more. Now all that was left was to put the supplies back in Clemont's backpack and they'd be ready to go.

It was while she was doing so – that is, picking up and replacing everything on the ground in Clemont's bag including his Aipom Arm, the steel rope of which had unfurled and was laying haphazardly around in the nearest patch of grass – that she saw it just laying there.

The necklace, three feet away, the garnet glimmering in the sunlight and the pasty silver chain twisted and tangled in the dirt; _project forty-five_.

"Um, Bonnie," and Serena faltered when the blond-haired, blue-eyed young girl stared up at her sweetly, "Could you go check over there and make sure that none of Clemonts things ended up that way?" she asked as innocently as she could, doing so before her conscience could convince her that it was wrong.

"Sure!" her companion agreed and went to look in the nameless direction that Serena was already sure wasn't playing host to any of their lost belongings.

And then she stared, and stared, and took in the sight of her ticket to a brighter future and a better relationship with her secret crush and willed it to be everything she wanted it to; prayed it could grant her silly wish because she honestly didn't know what to do without it at this point.

She shouldn't do it, she _couldn't_ do it... but what other options could she have? How would she ever know if she and Ash stood a chance when he was so focused on the Kalos League that he didn't even see how much of an effort she put into everything she did for him, how far she'd come? It wasn't as if she were trying to dissuade him from his dreams, of course not, but... she just knew that she could be a bigger part of them too if he gave her the chance.

However Ash didn't seem to be willing or capable of doing such a thing without some outside _assistance_.

Everything else had already been placed back in Clemont's bag, including the blueprints used to create the prototype she was currently staring at. Would Clemont really miss it if she happened to borrow it for awhile? He had said that it wasn't ready for testing quite yet, that he could try again some other time. Didn't that mean that he didn't really want it? That it was expendable?

She knew it was wrong, of course, but Serena leaned forward and grasped the pendant so tightly in her hand that her knuckles turned an even paler shade of peach than they were already. She stared and stared and hoped and wished and wondered about the possibility of success as well as the possibility of forgiveness.

And then she pocketed the pendant and turned to retrieve Bonnie so that they could begin the walk to find their other companions.

**O**o**O**o**O**

**Notes** – Okay, so, _wow_... First off, let me start with a mega-huge apology. This was definitely supposed to be out over a month ago. And it wasn't. I have excuses for that (ranging from going on vacation and having no web access for a week to being distracted by other writing projects to losing confidence in the ability to write the Kalos Region characters well and not wanting to risk writing them at all) but it doesn't really matter, I guess. So yeah, I'm very sorry it's taken this long to update and it wasn't supposed to.

The (hopefully, maybe) good thing is that this chapter was the hurdle, in my opinion. I was trying to avoid writing the scene with Team Rocket and stuff and that was the biggest thing to hold me back but now it's done and they won't be reappearing in the fic so I feel like I can feel a little more at ease as I continue writing. Again, hopefully maybe.

I really hope nobody is upset that I had Serena basically _steal_. It was... well... she was supposed to be in a pretty desperate situation and I tried to voice that in the last few paragraphs. I plan on further exaggerating why I think she'd go so far in the beginning of the next chapter but I really wanted to wrap this one up since it's probably twice as long as the first chapter. I think the next one (or two, since I'm not sure if I wanna break up the finale into two parts) will be shorter but I guess I can't be too sure about that. We shall see.

Finally, thank you to anyone who read and reviewed the previous chapter! As aforementioned, this is my first attempt at GeekChicshipping – it's not even a full confession fic – but I received some praise and felt like I was a bit more capable because of it.

I will try to start the next chapter ASAP... and I've also come up with a "future" (sort of AU, I guess) GeekChicshipping one-shot for Father's Day, though, if I decide to focus on this fic for now, I may put that one-shot on hold until _after_ Father's Day. Hm...

One last thing! I'm seriously considering putting all other fan fiction on hold until I finish this project! Nothing will be added to Our Best, The Strangest Kind of Love (though I doubt anyone thought I'd be updating that anytime soon), Ash's Nightmare, or What She Wants until this is over. That takes a bit more of the pressure off of me! Whew!

All reviews are appreciated!


End file.
